- Porto and Roma drew 1-1 at “Estádio do Dragão” in the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie
- Mehmet Zeki Çelik opened the scoring for Roma, while Francisco Moura equalized for Porto
- Roma finished with ten men after Bryan Cristante was sent off, but Porto could not capitalize on their advantage
Key Takeaways:
Porto and Roma played out a 1-1 draw at “Estádio do Dragão” in the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie. The match saw Mehmet Zeki Çelik give the visitors the lead in first-half stoppage time before Francisco Moura equalized for the hosts in the second half. Roma had to play the final 18 minutes with ten men following Bryan Cristante’s red card, but Porto failed to take advantage of their numerical superiority.
⏱Final de Jogo / End of the match / Final del Partido#FCPASR #UEL pic.twitter.com/OCyfknZwta
— FC Porto (@FCPorto) February 13, 2025
The visitors struck first in the closing moments of the first half. Çelik reached the ball before Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa and slotted it past him to hand Roma the lead. Porto responded midway through the second half with a fast counterattack. Substitute Pepê Aquino chased down a long clearance from the goalkeeper and set up Francisco Moura, whose strike from the edge of the penalty area took a deflection off Tommaso Baldanzi and found the net. Roma’s troubles deepened in the 72nd minute when Cristante received a second yellow card for a foul on substitute Fábio Vieira, leaving the visitors a man down. Despite controlling possession in the final stages, Porto was unable to find a winner.
The second leg at the “Stadio Olimpico” next week will determine which team advances to the next round.